October 8, 2011

foolproof quiche recipe

Weekend mornings are rhythmically distinct from weekday ritual. Saturday mornings, I'm the first body out of bed to light up the stove, grind coffee beans and prepare dough. I take the most pleasure from preparing a fresh dough. There are endless combinations to achieve various flavor, texture, tenderness, flakiness, crispiness... but always it is a tasty and supportive shell for an equally tasty and nutritious filling.
Today I want to share with you a foolproof formula for making hot, nutritious, satisfying quiche from scratch. Put simply it is a boundlessly variable egg pie baked in an equally variable crust in an oven at very high heat.

this morning's broccoli quiche with mustard seed and flax meal crust

1. Prepare a dough from scratch. Essentially flour + water = a substantial crust for a quiche but feel free to play with different types of grain flour, ground nut flour, dried vegetable flour, seeds, spices, herbs, and seasonings. Anything dry and powdery can go into a dough. As for your liquid, cool water is the best agent to make a pliable dough. You may also want to add an agent of fat. Cold butter or olive oil are the best choices but you are not limited to them. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and use your fingertips to gradually form a smooth and uniform dough ball. Smack it around a bit from palm to palm and finally let it rest.
2. Prepare a filling. Sautee, roast, steam, etc your choice of vegetables/meat. Some recommendations include onions, garlic, peppers, squash, celery, leeks, shallots, asparagus, kale, chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, potato, fresh tomato, mustard greens, beets and smoked or cured meat. Somethings I do not recommend are lettuce, radish, cucumbers, and anything else that you might not want to eat cooked but rather enjoy fresh.
3. Prepare your eggs. I go by 1.5 eggs/mouth. Crack them into a bowl, whisk them and feel free to add some more liquid such as cream, milk, oil, water, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, salad dressing, mustard, mayo... whatever. Add some more spices, salt and pepper and then add your filling to your eggs.
4. Prepare the crust. On a well floured surface roll out your dough ball into a large and thin shape that will overfill your baking vessel. Extra crust that hangs over can encase the egg mixture snuggly inside and provides a tasty crust.
5. Pour egg and filling mixture onto the crust inside the baking vessel and bake in an oven heated to at least 400 F for at least 30 minutes. You'll know when it is done when the quiche poofs up, the crust is crisped and the whole creation is beautifully browned.
6. Bon appetit. Enjoy quiche for breakfast, lunch, dinner, fourthmeal, eat some now, eat more later, etc.
With love, Charlotte

About Me

In the forest each plant works independently to survive and reproduce in order to contribute to the forest as a whole. As humans, we too must work independently in order to contribute to the world we live in. I live the role of a baker; handcrafting delectable baked classics to nourish the mind, body, and spirit. Your desire fuels my creativity.